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ARCTIC
VOL. 64, NO. 2 (JUNE 2011)
InfoNorth
A Matter of Good Fortune? The Grounding of the Clipper Adventurer in the
Northwest Passage, Arctic Canada
by E.J. Stewart and J. Dawson
INTRODUCTION one to three successful voyages through the Northwest Pas-
sage each year, but cruise ships also visited other locations
The uncharted rock on which our ship ran aground in the Canadian Arctic such as Baffin Island, Hudson Bay,
is just one fragment of an entire world we have yet to and Ellesmere Island. The trend toward a more sustained
perceive. Arctic cruise industry in Canada was solidified in 2006,
(Winter, 2010) when 22 cruises operated in the region—double the number
observed during the previous season (Buhasz, 2006). Over
Because of its hazardous ice conditions, the Canadian Arc- the four following years, the number of planned cruises
tic was a latecomer to the burgeoning polar cruise indus- increased by an average of 9.5% each year. The 2009 cruise
try: the first cruise was offered in 1984. Since 2006, some season was the busiest on record, with 26 planned cruises.
regions, especially the Northwest Passage, have witnessed As was observed in 2010, cruise ship activity for the 2011
considerable growth in this sector. Despite this growth, season is likely to decrease as a consequence of the global
cruise operators in Arctic Canada have kept a good human economic recession (Stewart et al., 2010). In addition, the
safety profile, although there is a “lengthy record and anec- absence this year of the Inuit-operated cruise vessel Lyubov
dotal history of groundings and other bumbles” (Jones, Orlova will eliminate the seven tourist cruises that it nor-
1999:31). In August 1996, for example, the Hanseatic ran mally operates. However, the market of individuals seek-
aground in the Simpson Strait, perforating two of the ship’s ing to experience the Canadian Arctic by sea is expected to
fuel reservoirs, and all 153 passengers had to be evacu- grow from 2012 onwards, reflecting the dramatic growth in
ated by helicopter (Grenier, 2004). The latest of these inci- travel to Antarctica (Lück et al., 2010).
dents came in August 2010, when the Clipper Adventurer The patterns of cruise activity reveal a great deal of
grounded on an underwater cliff in Coronation Gulf in the variability across the Canadian Arctic region. Eastern and
Northwest Passage. Although there was no loss of life or southern Baffin Island destinations, such as Cape Dorset, as
environmental catastrophe, the incident showed the stark well those on the shores of Hudson Bay, such as Churchill,
reality of the individual, cultural, and environmental risks have witnessed a decline in cruise activity in recent years
associated with polar travel, and it should send a warning (Stewart et al., 2010), but more cruises have moved into the
to decision makers about the complexities of managing and northern, central, and western regions, and most dramati-
governing cruise activities in Arctic waters. After an over- cally, through the Northwest Passage. In 2010, the North-
view of Arctic cruise trends in Canada, we explore briefly west Passage experienced the highest volume of cruise ship
what happened to the Clipper Adventurer during the sum- landings (community and shore visits) in the industry’s
mer of 2010 and comment on the implications of that inci- history, representing a 57% increase from 2006 (Table 1).
dent for the governance of cruise tourism in Arctic Canada, It is hardly surprising, therefore, that the majority of inci-
particularly in relation to safety issues. dents involving cruise ships have occurred in this stretch of
water.
CRUISE SHIP TOURISM IN ARCTIC CANADA
THE GROUNDING OF THE CLIPPER ADVENTURER
Historically, ice conditions have precluded most commer-
cial shipping in the Arctic. The first tourist voyage through In 1975, the Alla Tarasova was built in the former Yugo-
the Northwest Passage by the Explorer in 1984 aroused slavia as an expedition and research vessel purposely
sufficient interest in the region to warrant similar transits designed for travel to the polar regions, with an A-1 ice
(Marsh and Staple, 1995; Jones, 1999); however, only two class rating. In 1998, under the ownership of Clipper Cruise
other crossings were successful during the next four years Line, the 4000-ton vessel was renamed Clipper Adven-
(Marsh and Staple, 1995). From 1992 to 2005, a more regu- turer after being refitted as an expedition cruise ship with
lar pattern of cruise activity emerged: not only were there the capacity to accommodate 122 passengers. A sister
263264 • INFONORTH
TABLE 1. Total community and shore landings by region (after Stewart et al., 2010; Dawson et al., 2011).
Community and shore landings1 % change
Region 2006 2008 2009 2010 2006 – 10
High Arctic 3 3 2 8 +63%
Northwest Passage 20 23 36 47 +57%
Baffin Bay 47 37 20 25 -68%
Hudson Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador 25 14 14 20 -25%
Total 95 77 72 100 +5%
1
Data for 2005 and 2007 are not available.
ship to the Lyubov Orlova, the vessel is currently owned a single line track here that indicated we had 68 metres of
by International Shipping Partners and sails under char- water directly under us, when we found ourselves on a rock
ter to various cruise operators such as Quark Expeditions ... It’s a part of the world where you do your best, but there
and Adventure Canada. The Clipper Adventurer regularly are blank spots on the map.” However, the Canadian Hydro-
visits both polar regions, transiting the Arctic during the graphic Service had reported these escarpment features in
Northern Hemisphere summer and the Antarctic during the 2007, and the CCG (2007a) had issued a notice to shipping
austral summer. The vessel had just begun to be a regular in the same year. It is the responsibility of the ship’s offic-
visitor to the Canadian Arctic with her first voyage through ers to update their own charts and note these hazards when
the Northwest Passage in 2009. they are issued; in the case of the Clipper Adventurer, this
In 2010, the Clipper Adventurer was scheduled to com- was reportedly not done.
plete four cruises to various locations throughout the region, On the northern side of Coronation Gulf, chartered ship-
including the High Arctic, Baffin Island, and the Northwest ping lanes have been established to avoid these navigation
Passage. During a cruise advertised as “Into the Northwest hazards, but apart from earlier surveying by the Amundsen
Passage,” the Clipper Adventurer was chartered by Adven- in 2005 – 06, little is known about the southern region of
ture Canada, and made visits to Pond Inlet, Beechey Island, Coronation Gulf. As a consequence, the Clipper Adventurer
Gjoa Haven, and Bathurst Inlet before running aground ran aground on a hazard that the crew could easily have
two days before the end of the voyage. On 27 August, while avoided if they had been working with updated charts, or
making its way from Port Epworth to Kugluktuk, Nunavut, if serendipitously the vessel had tracked a course just a few
the vessel ran into a known hazard in Coronation Gulf at ship lengths to the east or to the west (Hydro International,
67˚58ʹ N, 112˚40ʹ W, approximately 100 km east of Kugluk- 2010). As the region is poorly charted and also known to
tuk. The seas were calm, sunny conditions prevailed, and possess challenging geological features, travel to rescue
good visibility with no wind or swell was reported at the the stricken Clipper Adventurer was also hazardous for the
time of the incident. According to local news reports, the icebreaker Amundsen. However, the researchers onboard
ship’s hull suffered serious damage, and watertight com- the Amundsen were able to chart a safe course using high-
partments were ruptured, although the ship’s interior did resolution multi-beam sonar from the ship’s barge. The safe
not take in water, and no oil spills were reported. Although corridor allowed the Amundsen to travel both to the Clipper
the ship was listing at about 4.5˚ to port (Fig. 1), all 118 pas- Adventurer and then onward to the community of Kugluk-
sengers and 69 crew members were safe and unharmed dur- tuk, from where the passengers were flown to Edmonton,
ing the incident. As reported by Adventure Canada, efforts arriving on 30 August.
by the ship’s crew to dislodge the vessel during high tide on The surveys completed by UNB researchers were also
28 August were unsuccessful. As a consequence, the Cana- used by other Coast Guard ships assisting with the recov-
dian Coast Guard (CCG) dispatched the nearest icebreaker, ery of the Clipper Adventurer. The Resolve Marine Group
the Amundsen, to assist the stranded ship. The icebreaker was awarded the salvage of the cruise ship. The salvage
was 500 km away in the Beaufort Sea, but was on the scene team arrived on the ship on 29 August and, as soon as the
by 0900 the following day. Amundsen had evacuated the passengers, began to assess
As explained by Church et al. (2010:38), researchers the damage. The team removed fuel and closed breaches in
from the University of New Brunswick’s (UNB) Ocean the hull in preparation to refloat and tow the vessel to Cam-
Mapping Group who were on the Amundsen at the time of bridge Bay for repairs. Salvage personnel also flew in from
the grounding, Coronation Gulf is transected by a num- Yellowknife, Northwest Territories (Marine Log, 2010). By
ber of island chains known as the Coronation Sills. These the end of September 2010, the Coast Guard had towed the
geological features “are steep (often vertical) and allow lit- ship out of the region (Fig. 2).
tle opportunity for a vessel to avoid [them] if approached Despite the difficulties faced in the 2010 season, the
without prior knowledge.” Adventure Canada CEO Mat- Clipper Adventurer is scheduled to take passengers on five
thew Swan reported to the CBC news channel, “we were on separate cruises through Arctic Canada in 2011, includingINFONORTH • 265
FIG. 1. The Clipper Adventurer grounded in Coronation Gulf, FIG. 2. The Clipper Adventurer being towed out of the North-
August 2010. (Photo: Sven Commandeur.) west Passage in the vicinity of Pond Inlet in September 2010.
(Photo: Michael Peterloosie.)
tours to Baffin Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, and
through the Northwest Passage. The vessel will be operat- equipment and operational expertise to map a safe res-
ing the “Arctic Safari” cruise for the recently reconfigured cue course, which allowed the Amundsen access to the
Inuit-operated cruise company, Cruise North Expeditions grounded ship “without risk of succumbing to the same
(Cruise North Expeditions, 2011), and in addition, will be fate” (Church et al., 2010:38). Why the crew of Clipper
under charter to Adventure Canada. It is anticipated that Adventurer was unaware of a charted hazard is currently
the Clipper Adventurer will be the busiest cruise ship in the a matter of speculation, but it is clear that the approach
Canadian Arctic in 2011. During the austral summer, the adopted by the Amundsen minimized the risk associated
vessel is also expected to make seven trips to the Antarctic with the evacuation of passengers from the cruise ship to
Peninsula (Quark Expeditions, 2011). the icebreaker and onward to Kugluktuk. Without doubt
the CCG greatly increased the efficiency and effective-
ness of the rescue under difficult conditions (Church et al.,
DISCUSSION 2010). However, it is impossible to guarantee that the Coast
Guard will be close enough to provide search and rescue
The unfortunate grounding of the Clipper Adventurer services to stricken cruise ships in the vast and increasingly
gives rise to pressing questions for the cruise industry in busy waterways of the Canadian Arctic. Under normal cir-
the Canadian Arctic. For instance, how can risk be mini- cumstances, the CCG’s response time could be 10 hours or
mized for the increasing number of cruise ships and tourists more, depending on ice, weather, hydrographic, and other
visiting the Canadian Arctic? What can be learned from the conditions (CCG, 2007b, 2008). While six icebreakers are
grounding that will help improve future cruise operations in deployed to the Arctic in summer, and while search-and-
the Arctic, particularly with regard to safety? What volun- rescue operations take precedence in CCG operations,
tary and regulatory mechanisms are required to ensure the expecting this small fleet of icebreakers to cover such a
Arctic cruise industry meets appropriate safety and envi- vast area of waterways is unrealistic. The fortunate circum-
ronmental protection standards? The anticipated growth stances that permitted the rescue of the Clipper Adventurer
in the cruise sector, in combination with increasing debate in 2010 may not prevail during future incidents.
over sovereignty in Canada’s Arctic waterways (Huebert, Fear of future incidents, along with the desire to exer-
2001) and the possibility of increased hazards in the North- cise sovereignty over the Arctic region, has placed Arctic
west Passage (Stewart et al., 2007), makes addressing these marine governance at the forefront of northern policy issues
questions critically important. Although hazardous ice in Canada (Government of Canada, 2010). The federal gov-
was not a factor in the Clipper’s grounding, incidents may ernment has already begun to revise reporting and moni-
accelerate because ice conditions in this stretch of water toring policies in Arctic waters, including a change in July
will become more unpredictable as the Northwest Passage 2010 to NORDREG (Northern Canada Vessel Traffic Ser-
transitions to an ice-free summer. The prevalence of multi- vices), which for the first time made it mandatory for ves-
year ice may be particularly problematic for transiting ves- sels over 300 tonnes to report to the CCG while operating in
sels (Stewart et al., 2007). Arctic waters. However, according to CCG and Transport
It was a matter of good fortune that the Amundsen was Canada representatives, more than 98% of vessels operating
relatively close to the Clipper Adventurer, and even more in Arctic waters were already reporting to the CCG even
fortunate that the icebreaker was carrying the appropriate when it was voluntary. It is therefore questionable whether266 • INFONORTH this policy change will make any appreciable difference international organization was founded in 2003 to manage beyond reiterating the view that Canada is asserting sov- Arctic cruises that are safe, friendly to the environment, ereignty over what it considers to be internal waters. This and beneficial to Arctic communities (AECO, 2011). Like change has been criticized as being meaningless in prac- the International Association of Antarctica Tour Opera- tice considering it will capture only the 2% of vessels that tors (IAATO), which includes many Arctic cruise operators were not previously reporting. Perhaps more relevant would among its members, AECO acts as a representative body be significant federal investment in additional icebreak- offering information, guidelines, and voluntary policies ers and other infrastructure for enforcement, search-and- for operating cruise ships in the European Arctic (AECO, rescue, environmental disaster prevention, and clean-up and 2011). Although Arctic Canada falls outside the regional salvage operations. Although the federal government has remit of AECO, the grounding of the Clipper Adventurer committed CDN$800 million to procuring one new polar should provide impetus to create a new body, or to extend icebreaker, which is expected to have greater icebreaking the remit of IAATO or AECO to the Canadian Arctic. capabilities than any other ship operating under the CCG, this ship will simply replace the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent, which is expected to be decommissioned in 2017 (CCG, CONCLUSION 2011). Thus, at present there seem to be no plans to make additions to the currently operating Arctic fleet of six Cana- The Northwest Passage is a “honey pot” for cruising dian icebreakers. It is also clear from the grounding of the in the Canadian Arctic because it combines good wild- Clipper Adventurer that significant research investment in life viewing opportunities with the unrivalled chance to charting Arctic waterways is overdue. Some federal fund- witness relics of the historical exploration of the Passage ing has been allocated to this initiative, but it is not clear yet (Stewart et al., 2010). However, it has also been the location whether existing financial commitments will be sufficient. of various incidents involving cruise and other vessels (such It is vital, in order to ensure economic, socio-cultural, as the tanker Nanny, which ran aground shortly after the political, and environmental sustainability in the Arctic Clipper), and more accidents are likely to occur there in the region, to identify and evaluate specific policies and regu- future (Stewart et al., 2007). John Hughes, director of the lations that will enhance safety and security in and sover- UNB Ocean Mapping Group onboard the Amundsen, noted eignty over Canadian Arctic waters. It is also important to that cruise ships are tending to deviate from safe shipping evaluate the institutional structures that actually implement lanes toward “riskier areas…where there is more dramatic and enforce the decisions that are made. Marine shipping is topography or stunning wildlife” (Hydro International, inherently complex, a situation reflected in the multilayered 2010). The grounding of the Clipper Adventurer therefore and multiscale nature of regulatory institutions. In addition evoked little surprise, and although we do not wish to sen- to the umbrella framework provided by the International sationalize the possibility of further incidents, neither can Maritime Organization (IMO), Canada has additional acts, we dismiss it. While management cannot handle all eventu- regulations, legislation, and guidelines governing passenger alities in this remote polar environment, increased attention ship operation in Canadian Arctic waterways. An array of is clearly needed to streamline the cruise sector’s complex federal and territorial organizations support the regulation governance structure, maximize benefits to local communi- and operation of passenger vessels in the Canadian Arctic, ties, and minimize risks to human life and to the environ- including the Canadian Coast Guard (search-and-rescue ment. Good fortune may be running out. operations), the Department of National Defence (public safety and emergency preparedness), the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (vessel traffic monitoring services), ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Environment Canada (distribution of sea ice data), Parks Canada (protected areas), and the Canada Border Ser- We would like to thank Sven Commandeur and Michael vices Agency (immigration and passport control), as well Peterloosie, who granted permission to use their photo- as all three northern territorial governments (Dawson et al., graphs in this paper. 2011). 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Ontario.You can also read
